BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1677

By: Lucio

Defense & Veterans' Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerned women veteran advocates suggest that the state could improve the manner by which it identifies women veterans in Texas and thus improve their participation in the services and benefits that they have earned for their military service. S.B. 1677 seeks to require certain state agencies to include on applications for agency programs, services, or assistance a place for a woman veteran to indicate her veteran status.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 1677 amends the Government Code to require a state agency in the executive branch of state government that provides to adult women in Texas a program, a service, or assistance to include in each application for a program, a service, or assistance provided by the agency to adult women a space to indicate whether the applicant is a veteran and model language informing the applicant that she may be entitled to additional services because of her veteran status. The bill requires the Texas Veterans Commission to develop the model language required on an application and requires that language to include a link to the state veterans website or, for an online application, a hyperlink to that website. The bill requires the commission to develop the model application language and to post that information on the commission's website not later than December 1, 2017, and requires each applicable state agency to modify the agency's application for programs, services, or assistance as necessary to implement the bill's provisions not later than March 1, 2018.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2017.